UNITED NATIONS, Aug 12: The New York police took a California man into custody at a parking garage near the UN headquarters on Thursday on a suspicion that he was carrying firearms and a container of gasoline in his car.

Vernon Wilker told the police that he was involved in a property dispute in California and intended to file a lawsuit with the UN.

When he was told by a private guard at the garage entrance that his vehicle had to be searched, he asked whether a permit was required to carry a revolver. Later he backed down and left the garage.

But Mr Wilker returned minutes later and tried to run over the guard to force his way into the garage, a UN official said. At that point, a Secret Service agent caught the man and turned him over to the police.